Fifteen South Americans deported from the United States, arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo Friday, part of the first group of an unknown number of people that Trump's administration has expelled which DR Congo has agreed to take.
Seven women and eight men arrived on a flight from the United States, which landed at Ndjili airport in the capital. A source close to the Congolese presidency said they are originally from Peru and Ecuador.
Other migrants expelled by the United States are due to arrive soon in Kinshasa, in groups of around 50 a month, sources close to the matter said. The total number expected to be taken in by the DRC is currently unknown.
Earlier this month, when details of the deportation deal first emerged, the Congolese government said the decision to receive what are known as third-country migrants - that is those who come from neither the sending nor receiving nation - aligns with its commitment to human dignity, to protecting the rights of migrants and international solidarity.
The Congolese authorities also said that the scheme was not a "permanent relocation mechanism or an outsourcing of migration policies".
"The individuals concerned are admitted to the national territory under short-stay permits, in accordance with national legislation concerning the entry and residence of foreigners," a Congolese government statement said on Friday without giving any more details about the deportees.
The US State Department said that while it did not comment on "diplomatic communications with other governments" the administration remained "unwavering" in its "commitment to end illegal and mass immigration and bolster America's border security".
The US has deported dozens of people to third countries since President Donald Trump came to power in January last year as part of its hard-line approach towards immigration.
Washington has previously sent foreigners to Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda, South Sudan, Cameroon and Eswatini.
The arrangement negotiated between Washington and several African countries aims to remove migrants from American soil quickly, before sending them back to their countries of origin, one of the sources said.
The accord with the DRC comes after an agreement paving the way for Washington to gain access to the country’s rich mineral resources, which are crucial for the electronics industry.
The US has in return mediated talks aimed at ending years of conflict in eastern DRC, although efforts have yet to stop the fighting on the ground.
